Work never seems to end, you sit extra hour or hours, a day or days but come what may, it just does not finish! The working population spends, at an average, 9 hours in office (the traveling and other off-duty on duty not added, still!) which makes it quite a big chunk of the day sometimes creating a barrier in relation you have and sometimes making brief, some unknown and unexpected.
It started as regular conversation with him, a normal conversation any customer would have with any banker, the balance, why this deducted, why not, how etc. etc. He was a loan customer of the bank and very patiently he sat through waiting for me to revert with the data. One of the reasons why rural set up soothes me; people are not in rush, they have patience. Nonetheless, while fetching things for him we hit the conversation about the on going and current things, locally. The apple orchard taking a lot of hardwork and constant take care needed which I agreed to. How he has been managing it with me in between giving inputs about how weather has affected, the pesticides, the market. We did hit it off well!
Meanwhile, people came and went, somewhat agreed, some disagreed few inputs and some with hmmm... Finally he asked about my whereabouts. Then he went quite for a while. I assumed that he is done talking and wants his work done so that he can leave & I did the needful. He kept sitting there for a while but had a sombre expression. He seemed lost somewhere in his thoughts and finally he said "Beta, you know I have two sons." I took some insinuating cue and tried backing out the conversation. But he continued, me and my wife stays here in the village, I don't have any brothers as well just two of us. I was born here, brought up and worked here in the govt department and retired. I tried keeping up with him and congratulated him for completing the "full life circle" as approved by society. He smirked, a thoughtful one and continued, I have 15bigas of land and every year have lacs of apples. I made the apple orchard with my hands since those trees were little plants and now, they are big trees each year blooming to full. They fill my heart and make me so happy! I take care of the orchard, I have always been doing that, it is like my child to me.
I felt the whimper, tried changing the subject to post retirement, go see places, now you're so relaxed, look at me...just working and no other life..literally blah blah.. He listened, smiled and withdrew to some thoughts. I brought him back from the parallel universe and offered tea. So if nothing works, tea is a rambaan that works all the time. He gave a cheerful smile with misaligned, brown teeth and it was contagious. It felt peace to see a smily wrinkled, tired, tanned, lived a full life face. I hesitantly asked Sir, where are your sons? Why don't you call them here or go to them? You have everything, why are you staying here. This house and orchard you made, are for them eventually so you live life and let them take care of all this!
He took a sip, holding tea in his hands and drawing whatever heat left from the tea cup in the gloomy weather hovering outside, the smile kind of vanishing and getting ready to reply such that I understand and absorb, whatever he is going to say. Apparently, I realized the body language, does tell a lot, if we actually observe.
He said, "Beta, mere dono bete doctors hain, bahut intelligent hain. Ek Australia mai hai or ek Germany mai, bahut achi tankah hai unki. Dono ki shadi ho gayi hai. Beech mai hum dono miya biwi jaate rehte hain unke paas, wo bhi kehte hai unke paas rehne ko." [Child, my both sons' are doctors, very intelligent. One is in Australia and other in Germany with handsome packages. Both well settled and married. We keep going to them in between, they ask us to shift with them]. I gave an acknowledging and 'see! told ya' smile! He continued "Main yaha paida hua hu, taa umar yaha beetayi hai, bachon ko yahi paala hai, sab kuch apne hath se seencha hai. Ye mitti ki khushboo, ye apnapan, ye sab chod k nahi jaana chahta iss umar main. Yaha shanti hai, mann ki. Bache bade ho gaye hai, pad liye hain unke sath rehna chahta hu par doosre mulk mai mann nahi lagta or wo wapis aana nahi chahta. Kabhi-kabhi sochta hu ki itni padhai ka kya fayda jo apne hi watan k kaam na aasake." [I was born here, spent my whole life here, my kids have grown up here, made here everything with my own hands. I do not want to go leaving behind fragrance of my soil, this ownness, at this age. I feel peace here. My sons' are grown ups now, I want to stay with them but do not want to leave my motherland and die in some foreign land. Sometimes I wonder, what's the point of studying this much if it cannot be of use to your motherland.]
I kept looking at him and said Uncle, I also left my parents and came to this village. I get to meet people like you while working and your sons' are also doing the same somewhere else. He smiled, took out his walking cane, got up, patted my head and said, "You are a good kid. Don't go that far, that you cannot come back. Mitti ka karz hamesha yaad rakhna or uske baad mata-pita ka. [Always remember the debt of your motherland and then your parents]"
I looked into his eyes, so longing....walking slowly with his cane, he left leaving me downhearted and with so much to ponder upon!
It started as regular conversation with him, a normal conversation any customer would have with any banker, the balance, why this deducted, why not, how etc. etc. He was a loan customer of the bank and very patiently he sat through waiting for me to revert with the data. One of the reasons why rural set up soothes me; people are not in rush, they have patience. Nonetheless, while fetching things for him we hit the conversation about the on going and current things, locally. The apple orchard taking a lot of hardwork and constant take care needed which I agreed to. How he has been managing it with me in between giving inputs about how weather has affected, the pesticides, the market. We did hit it off well!
Meanwhile, people came and went, somewhat agreed, some disagreed few inputs and some with hmmm... Finally he asked about my whereabouts. Then he went quite for a while. I assumed that he is done talking and wants his work done so that he can leave & I did the needful. He kept sitting there for a while but had a sombre expression. He seemed lost somewhere in his thoughts and finally he said "Beta, you know I have two sons." I took some insinuating cue and tried backing out the conversation. But he continued, me and my wife stays here in the village, I don't have any brothers as well just two of us. I was born here, brought up and worked here in the govt department and retired. I tried keeping up with him and congratulated him for completing the "full life circle" as approved by society. He smirked, a thoughtful one and continued, I have 15bigas of land and every year have lacs of apples. I made the apple orchard with my hands since those trees were little plants and now, they are big trees each year blooming to full. They fill my heart and make me so happy! I take care of the orchard, I have always been doing that, it is like my child to me.
I felt the whimper, tried changing the subject to post retirement, go see places, now you're so relaxed, look at me...just working and no other life..literally blah blah.. He listened, smiled and withdrew to some thoughts. I brought him back from the parallel universe and offered tea. So if nothing works, tea is a rambaan that works all the time. He gave a cheerful smile with misaligned, brown teeth and it was contagious. It felt peace to see a smily wrinkled, tired, tanned, lived a full life face. I hesitantly asked Sir, where are your sons? Why don't you call them here or go to them? You have everything, why are you staying here. This house and orchard you made, are for them eventually so you live life and let them take care of all this!
He took a sip, holding tea in his hands and drawing whatever heat left from the tea cup in the gloomy weather hovering outside, the smile kind of vanishing and getting ready to reply such that I understand and absorb, whatever he is going to say. Apparently, I realized the body language, does tell a lot, if we actually observe.
He said, "Beta, mere dono bete doctors hain, bahut intelligent hain. Ek Australia mai hai or ek Germany mai, bahut achi tankah hai unki. Dono ki shadi ho gayi hai. Beech mai hum dono miya biwi jaate rehte hain unke paas, wo bhi kehte hai unke paas rehne ko." [Child, my both sons' are doctors, very intelligent. One is in Australia and other in Germany with handsome packages. Both well settled and married. We keep going to them in between, they ask us to shift with them]. I gave an acknowledging and 'see! told ya' smile! He continued "Main yaha paida hua hu, taa umar yaha beetayi hai, bachon ko yahi paala hai, sab kuch apne hath se seencha hai. Ye mitti ki khushboo, ye apnapan, ye sab chod k nahi jaana chahta iss umar main. Yaha shanti hai, mann ki. Bache bade ho gaye hai, pad liye hain unke sath rehna chahta hu par doosre mulk mai mann nahi lagta or wo wapis aana nahi chahta. Kabhi-kabhi sochta hu ki itni padhai ka kya fayda jo apne hi watan k kaam na aasake." [I was born here, spent my whole life here, my kids have grown up here, made here everything with my own hands. I do not want to go leaving behind fragrance of my soil, this ownness, at this age. I feel peace here. My sons' are grown ups now, I want to stay with them but do not want to leave my motherland and die in some foreign land. Sometimes I wonder, what's the point of studying this much if it cannot be of use to your motherland.]
I kept looking at him and said Uncle, I also left my parents and came to this village. I get to meet people like you while working and your sons' are also doing the same somewhere else. He smiled, took out his walking cane, got up, patted my head and said, "You are a good kid. Don't go that far, that you cannot come back. Mitti ka karz hamesha yaad rakhna or uske baad mata-pita ka. [Always remember the debt of your motherland and then your parents]"
I looked into his eyes, so longing....walking slowly with his cane, he left leaving me downhearted and with so much to ponder upon!
First of all I appreciate your write up Axita garu. Beautifully written all the conversation you had with the customer.You are a great Banker axita.This type of human relations are missing in today's banking scenario due to work pressure or say digitilisation.And coming to your story, This is the story of every parent.Yes agree, at some point of age parents needs their children to stay with them because they feel lonely even though they have money/home/etc. But they still feel missing their children. But for them(children) want career and say anything.They(children) dont want to sit away from the world and they have their own ambitions and dreams.Yes children move from them to have their career and life. But atleast they(children) have to keep visiting their parents and motherland once or twice in a year and spend some time with them which makes parents happy for the rest of life. Dont leave your parents but keep in touch with them rather than with phone/whatsapp/videocalling .
ReplyDelete:) Thank you Garu!
DeleteDear Axita. This is not just writing. You have penned down the scene like a pro. And it is because you are so aware and sensitive about your surrounding. I am not good writer myself but I know when I read great stories.
ReplyDeleteWhat you tried to portray and convey via this story is a subject that is so profound but seldom thought.
It is also result of the fact that parents and Indian society has not been able to create something that gives hope to the larger section of young people.
I moved from a village to cities and then a metropolitan. I believe life is a journey and borders are merely lines created by people to help them differenciate. India is an idea. It is a discovery that not just those born in India do but also people who were born elsewhere.
Youth of India will spread to the world. Generations have moved as did our ancestors. And most of our ancestors didn't belong to India. It is just that some are attached to soil and others to the journey awaiting them.
The uncle chose what he wants and he has given liberty to his sons what they wanted to choose.
Maybe be need more son of soils. Enabling young people to take up agriculture as an occupation can work magnificently if ideated and supported by government and the people.
A friend of mine living in Iceland spoke with me yesterday and he said that he is coming to India and will generate employment for youth of Himachal.
We lack in value education. Most Indian people have not even know what India is. People like you know because you have travelled as a person across India and deep within you travel like an aware being. God bless you.
Thank you!
ReplyDelete